You Come Here Often?

Zuriel came to grab the cobwebs at around his forelimb and for a moment, Elias froze. He watched her carefully, his red stare falling on her dual-tone blues before she pulled herself away and waited beside Vale. Elias could tell that she wasn't happy about what he was doing with her patient, but it was something he was going to have to put in the jaws of fate and in his faith in Zuriel as a healer. He closed his eyes for a moment as he refocused, thinking over his commitment to this ritual.

He had to. He didn't need to convince Vale anymore either, it seemed. The extra weight in the skull beside his paw made his attention lock on his friend once again. So he had done it? Elias was in the midst of feeling unsorted about that when Vale started to speak, his words luring the attentive posture of his ears as he flicked them to listen in. Vale's voice hit Elias on multiple tones and frequencies- as the sentiment spoke to not only him but to his demons and to the blood that came before him. He felt his words at the core of his being, though his eyes widened as he witnessed Vale pull his paw back out. "Welcome, brother, to my family- to Ruina. You now reside within our ranks under the responsibilities of Dommiel. You have already proved yourself a capable warrior to me three times now, please continue to train your body and hone your combatant skills. I want to see what you are truly made of, Vale. I'm sure you do too." He slanted his eyes some, musing a smirk on his lips.

Elias moved the skull away from the two of them and brought his own two front paws together as he sat, applying pressure to the wound just above his toe to keep it from bleeding. It was hardly bad at all, he told himself- though it had been enough to completely coat his toes and that skull. Vale seemed to be much better now that the cobwebs were mostly covering his wounds, and Elias was caught in the act of admiring Zuriel's work when Vale asked her about her role in the family.

The look on Elias' face couldn't have been more genuine as he furrowed the lighter dots of his 'brows and then pulled his head back slightly, "She is my mate and the mother of my children." Was that not obvious? He grinned in a teasing manner, his yellow-stained set of thick teeth tightly interlocked and on display as his inky lips curved toward his judging eyes. He thought it was obvious, but if Vale needed it spelled out for him he delivered his answer with no room for uncertainty. There might have been a time when Elias had a little confusion on how to describe Zuriel's relationship to him, but that was no more. Elias knew now with every ounce of his heart what she was to him and everything that she meant. Perhaps, to him, that is why it was so painstakingly obvious that they belonged to one another. He thought about this and as he did, the masks on his face seemed to quite noticeably change. His teasing grin melted into a neutral stare with distant eyes, he seemed off but he would have to pay attention to that after he took care of everything.

Dimitri.

Zuriel and Vale would likely be busy for awhile, and Elias himself couldn't stray too far just in case she needed his cobwebs, plus he was sort of bleeding everywhere but that wasn't the point. The point was! He had things to do, and people to greet. His eyes found his children first, and although there was so much he wanted to say to them he knew that he wanted to spend the majority of his time talking to them, so, for now, he skipped over them and looked to the borzoi man standing guard. He lifted his head naturally, without even thinking as he approached him in a regal yet respectful stance with his ears nice and tall, making for a beautifully unmarred silver crown. Blood stuck to the stone beneath him as he waltzed across it to get to Dimitri, each step of his left paw leaving behind a red painted print. His tail flagged and he finally lowered his head when he neared him at three feet. His chin tucked downward as he spoke to him, neck craning then to make their heads level. The titan matched him at eye level and crept in chillingly close, his ruby eyes wide and fully reading what was before them.

"Dimitri, you came." He grinned only very briefly before his lips sealed themselves shut once again. He thought, carefully, and then continued, "I appreciate you keeping watch- your bones are different, they are unique. I want you to bring your skills, wolf hound, into Ruina but I need to make sure you actually have them first." Despite the gentle tone of his voice, he was serious. "I will need to go through a lot with you. For now, you have a place within these mountains if you wish, as a Purgatorian of Ruina. You are my guest, but do not linger." He wanted to be clear, whether or not he actually believed Dimitri would. "If you want to stay permanently, know that it is just that- permanent, but once committed, Ruina will never let you down. We are fierce, and I will ensure that everyone is focused- and we will grow.. quickly. Seek me out tomorrow and I will tell you what must be done, but make sure you can handle stuff like this." He nodded his head back toward Vale, referring to what had been occurring when the young man arrived.

He watched Dimitri for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied- but just like the first time they'd encountered one another, he liked what he saw. It was different, he was different- than his father. His muzzle lowered just slightly as he gave him a dismissive nod. His shoulders rolled just briefly before he lifted himself and turned away, moving immediately in the direction of his brother.

Acere.

Acere's mirroring red stare was caught as Elias hunted for them with his own, the darker in tone also the lighter in build of the two. Elias let his athletic body nearly drift as his paws quickly devoured the distance between them within mere seconds, his toes gripping the stone, soil, and ash beneath them as he halted with near pinpoint precision right next to Ace, hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. His tail had an instinctual sort of reaction to the nearness of his brother, thrashing with only mild objection from Elias as he tried to keep it from swaying, resulting in just the end of the broom of his tail adamantly sweeping while the rest held stiff. His hackles began lighting flames above his shoulders with how they raised, though this was likely due to his own awareness that Acere was slightly taller than him and it made him perhaps feel a slight need to overcompensate with the height of his fur.

Elias forced himself close to Acere, his right side of his neck leaning into the left side of Ace's as he sought him out so that he could whisper while looking into his eyes. "I heard our father yesterday. It was in the forest to the south, I want to tell you about it. Trust me, brother. This was meant to happen, and I am so glad you are here. I cleared a den up in the mountains, you can stay there for the night if you like--" as much as he wanted to offer a warm place to sleep to his brother, he had a lot of plans for Zuriel tonight. He froze for a moment, then flashed a glance over in her direction before continuing his speech. "Well, I'll be there but I will be with her, so I advise clearing your own den near by. You are staying, aren't you?" He already had his hopes beyond the point of no return that Ace had no doubts in his mind about the rise of their kingdom done right after all these years, but he still looked with a stare that seemed expectant of an answer. He would respect his brother's wishes if he wanted nothing to do with Ruina, after everything that they had been through, but still.. he hoped that maybe the old ways, the ways of their father, would call him back to his roots.

Ace hadn't been born of the previous Demon Mother, Elias' mother, and at times the Mother had outcasted him unintentionally due to her own uncontrollable jealousy, but it was actually Spirit that taught them most of what they needed to know. Ace's mother never had eyes on motherhood and breeding, but she was a skilled combatant and taught the boys alongside their father everything they needed to know about fighting and defending themselves. Ace was riddled with scars, many of them holding matching ones on Elias' own form just from how much shit they got in together as children. They were bothers, Elias always knew it- no one had to tell him. They were born on the same day, taught their lessons right beside each other and never left each other's side. When they were kids, they held a bond so strong it seemed they always knew what the other was thinking. This was something strong among all the Praetor siblings, but here Ace was after all that time- the only one of them still in his company. Would he stay? Elias hoped so. Looking at Ace was like looking at everything that Ruina was meant to be. Looking at Ace was like looking at himself, at their father, at the Apollyon, at their origins, everything. He needed him, so without allowing him to answer the man left- deciding he wasn't ready to hear it.

Miach and Daelos.

Leanly muscled limbs carried the stone titan over to his son and daughter, his wide stride conquering the space between them with equal haste to that that he showed his brother. They were both grown adults and yet they still held so much innocence to them both that he felt compelled to treat them almost as though they were still children. In his eyes, they weren't far off. They had so much training to do that Elias wasn't sure where to even begin. Daelos needed to be preened for Dagon, though she already held more than enough promise for the healing duties of that role. The only thing left to work on was her self-defense and hunting skills.

Miach was taller than Daelos by far, holding so much promise in his skeleton- but Kane was even taller and stockier and yet Elias still managed to swiftly take him down. They were around the same age as Vale, and it seemed to be a common theme among the younger males. They were inexperienced, but Vale had learned quickly since their very first spar, so would his children. "I'm very glad that you are both here on this day. I am disappointed to see that Kane is not with you..." His eyes focused on Miach, trying to read if he knew anything about where his brother might be. If not, he would scan the descending slope of the mountainside they stood upon hopefully. Nothing. He flicked an ear and continued on, sucking in a quick breath of air to hold in his frustration. "We have a lot to talk about, but for now- I've found what appears to be old dens left behind by a pack. Whoever they were, they've been gone long enough for moss to grow over their homes and for new 'residents' to take up occupancy. I've cleared them, and you'll find one for each of you.. and a spare for your brother, if you find your way up there. You will come across the citadel first, it has a grand entrance beside a pool of melting snow off of the higher peaks. To the right of that, you will find your private quarters." He looked over each of their beautiful faces for just a moment, the whole time he had been talking to them having been inadvertently admiring their resemblance to both of their parents and the rest of his family. Miach's colors were new, but his markings old.. and it was remarkably stunning. Daelos held such similar tones to his sisters and the mask of his aunt. She was by far of his own blood, as well.. and he could stare at them all day. "Stay close tonight, alright? It's our first night in the mountains, so keep your ears open and expect anything. I'm sure other predators have heard our arrival by now." That last part was spoken loud enough for the whole group to hear and he looked away from them in favor of his newly claimed mate.

Zuriel.

He found the sight of Zuriel and Vale and moved over to them, quietly thinking about where Kane might have gone now that he was in Boreas. Elias wanted to thank that due to his coloration, size and wounds- he wouldn't be going anywhere very far if he could help it. Not by day at least. Elias was already making plans on how to track him down as he moved over to Zuriel's side without thinking. He seated himself there and waited for her to finish her work, seemingly in a trance of thought. He only remained there for a moment as it seemed something came to his mind almost immediately. He leaned in close to Zuriel, lowering his snout to her ear regardless of whether or not she was still working and said, "Meet me in the mountains when you are done, Zuriel. Take these webs-" he waited for her to finish off the last thin layer around his ankle, his own foot already seemed to be partially naturally clotted and coming to an end on its bleeding. "I'll be waiting for you."

Vale.

He looked to Vale as he was sprawled out on the floor, his wounds fully tended to at this point. Elias gave him no time to rest it seemed, "Come with me, I need to speak with you." He gave him a look that said 'I'm dying' was not a valid excuse to say no. He stood up and put himself parallel to Vale's length, offering his weight if the man needed it to walk. He had a feeling the stubborn man wouldn't accept help, but just in case he had to do so without having a choice- Elias would be there to catch him if he missed a step.